Combined drier and cooking device



Au 31, 1937. P. M. MLEY 2,091,746

COIB-INED DRIER AND COOKING DEVICE Filed Sept. 9, 1936 PEROIE NLWILEY an Al/u Gttomcgi 35 full.

50 ing element.

Patented Aug. 31, 1937 PATENT OFFICE COMBINED DRIER. AND COOKING DEVICE Percle M. Wiley, Columbus, Ohio Application September 9, 1936, Serial No. 99,997

3 Claim.

This invention relates to combined driers and cookers for domestic use.

Owing to the small wages received by many women and girls, such as those who work in fac- 5 tories and chain stores, they are forced to lodge in one room and practice the strictest economy. It frequently happens that such women and girls cannot even afford to purchase more than one pair of stockings of the right sort at a time and it 10 is necessary to wash and dry them overnight.

Moreover where meals in restaurants are expensive such workers frequently undertake by crude expedients to prepare their breakfasts and suppers in the room where they lodge.

l5 Therefore a special object of the present invention is to provide a combined drying and cooking device of light weight that can be economically manufactured and sold for a small price to such women and 'girls, or others to whom it may be useful or deem it necessary or convenient, and

20 wherewith by little more than mere inversion the device can be used for either drying or cooking.

Other objects will appear from the disclosure herein.

The invention is embodied in the example of construction herein shown and described, the features of novelty being finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device according to my invention, said view being partly broken out to depict certain details.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line II-II Fig. 1, showing the cooking end of the device uppermost, the heating element being shown in Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a protector plate that is employed in the heat supplying chamber.

As shown in the views the shell or body of the device is generally of rectangular box-like form including a back portion 5, end portions 6, 6, and a front portion I, connecting the end portions as shown in Fig. 1, at the lower end as viewed in Fig. 1 or at the upper portion as shown in Fig. 2.

At the lower portion of the body, as shown in Fig. 1 or at the upper portion as shown in Fig. 2,

there is provided a heating chamber formed by perforated partition pieces I and 9, an opening to said heating chamber being provided at one or both ends for permitting the insertion of a heat- The drying chamber is shown as having more than five times the height of the heating chamber so that when used for cooking the heating arrangement is at a convenient elevation for that purpose.

The four corners of the body are each provided with suitable legs II; and a suitable door I I hinged to the forward edge of one of the end portions 6 is provided to close the opening to the drying chamber. Said door has a suitable knob secured at ilt- If necessary the upper wall of the drying chamber, as shown in Fig. 1, can be provided with openings ii for the escape of the vapors of the drying operation.

Within the heating chamber is placed a loose sheet I! (see Fig. 3) of imperforate metal or other heat arresting material that can be placed on the bottom 8 of that chamber to close the perforations thereof and prevent the heat from scorching the floor when the device is used as a drying device; and conversely said sheet I! can be placed on the wall piece 9 to close the perforations thereof when the device is inverted and to be used for cooking, as shown in Fig. 2, said sheet preventing waste of heat and the dripping of grease or other debris into the drying chamber below.

Rods II, II, in the drying chamber can be used to support stockings or other articles to be dried.

If desired a perforated member 5' or other suitable means on its rear wall can be provided for hanging the device on a nail or screw driven in a wall when the device is used for drying purposes.

The device for supplying heat for both purposes can consist of an ordinary plug-in electrical heating element I4; and, as suggested at ii, an ordinary bimetallic or other suitable thermostatic circuit breaker for cutting off the electric current when a given but harmless temperature is reached, especially for drying purposes to avoid burning the goods being dried.

The heating element can be small and need not be of such length as to extend the entire length of the heating chamber. An ordinary electric light bulb or two with a suitable plug-in can be employed as the heating element when quick drying is not urgent.

In Fig. 1 a stocking, in broken lines, is shown as hung on one of the rods II for drying; and at i1 and I8 in Fig. 2 are shown a frying pan and a coffee pot respectively as placed in position for preparing a breakfast, for example.

When an electric heating element is used cooking and some drying can proceed at the same time if the plate I! is wholly or partially removed and care be exercised in the cooking operation.

The body of the structure can be made of small gage sheet metal, and if made, say, two feet or slightly more in height it can be easily inverted by the ordinary woman or girl for alternate or selective use of its functions.

However the dimensions, forms, and materials chamber, said structure being invertible for selecof the parts can'be changed without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A combined drying and cooking device including a box-like structure having at one end thereof two perforated walls forming a. chamber between them, said chamber open at one end for the insertion of a heating element, the other portion of said structure forming a drying chamber, said structure being invertible for selective use of its functions, and a movable imperforate plate member in said heating element chamber for closing perforations in the wall of said chamber that are not being used for the passage of heat. i

2. A combined drying and cooking device consisting of a box-like structure having at one end two perforated walls forming between them a chamber for receiving a heating element, the other portion of said structure forming a drying tive use of its functions, and a movable imper-' 1 being used for the passage of heat, said structure being invertible for selective use of its functions, and permanent legs at each end of said boxlike structure for supporting the same in each of its positions.

PERCIE M. WILEY. 

